What is summer it’s been. I fished a lot and posted very little. At some point I’ll try and do a big photo dump to share some of the images taken.
I did get the chance to get out on Monday. There’s a local stream that I fished a lot the last couple years and I thought about going to it again because it’s so close but after talking a little bit more with my friend Will we decided to try a new stream. It’s a section of water we’ve never fished before but I had some Intel that it was worth checking out. As we drove to the stream, we enjoyed the hot August weather. Partial cloud cover with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Fortunately the section of water would be fishing would be covered in trees. That should be pretty shady.
We talked a lot about how the streams change over time. Whether it is A stream slowly pinching off an oxbow or a beaver coming in to build the dam. The dam can change the structure and then a subsequent big rain event can blow out the dam moving things around even more.
We had a great day of fishing and found some really nice Brook trout. It’s definitely a stream that I will head again in the fall.
The next day, a round of storms came through the area dropping anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of rain. In our little bunch of valleys filled with streams and towns, it was just too much rain to handle. We have an entire sections of small towns that are covered in water. Cars were washed away. Roads were damage. Railroads have to be fixed. The people in the area are a close knit bunch and therefore resilient. Everybody is supporting eachother and there are already several fundraiser concert events to help local funding. A state of emergency has been called for Wisconsin.
I think people will rebound. The trout are pretty similar. They are used to these big events. They cling behind rocks and close to the shore when something this major happens.
When you live so close to the streams, you really do get to see how they change from year to year. It’s amazing. Most often the fish seem to be able to tolerate very well.
In a way it gives me confidence the people will too.
My Leaky Waders 